Future of Lancaster restaurant uncertain as owners announce closure plans

A Lancaster family pub-restaurant faces an uncertain future after its owners announced plans to either close or sell its premises across the UK.

The Brewers Fayre at Cottams Field is owned by hospitality giants Whitbread, who have announced they intend to focus on their Premier Inn hotels around the country.

This means the chain plans to "exit" their branded Brewers Fayre and Beefeater restaurants.

A Whitbread spokesperson said they could be converted into additional Premier Inn rooms, or sold.

The proposal is under consultation, which is expected to close in the summer.

Brewers Fayre at Cottams Field, Caton Road, was built in 2001 and includes an outdoor and indoor play area, as well as dining.

Whitbread also operates a nearby Premier Inn hotel on Caton Road in Lancaster, near the M6 junction 34.

“Whitbread has announced today (April 30) that, as part of its proposed new Five-Year Plan, it intends to become a pure-play hotel business focused on Premier Inn, the UK’s number one hotel brand, which is synonymous with quality and value," said a Whitbread spokesperson.

“This change will involve exiting all of our remaining branded restaurants, which trade under brands including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, a number of which will be converted into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn rooms, with the remainder expected to be sold as going concerns.

“The proposed changes announced today build on the success of our Accelerating Growth Plan, announced in 2024, which involved the conversion of over 200 branded restaurants to additional rooms, and the creation of an integrated restaurant in each hotel.

"This format has proved highly popular with guests and under the proposal, it would be rolled out to all hotels where there is currently a branded restaurant.

“We recognise the impact of this proposal on colleagues who work at the affected sites.

"As a business which recruits around 15,000 people every year, we expect to be able to retain a significant proportion of those affected and will be looking to redeploy as many of our impacted colleagues as possible.

"However, we do anticipate that the proposed changes, which are subject to consultation, would result in a reduction of around 3,800 roles of a total UK and Ireland workforce of around 30,000.

"We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected.”

The Brewers Fayre website says the Cottams Field restaurant provides "mouth-watering grills to classic fish and chips" with "great-value menus packed full of hearty favourites and pub classics – plus drinks to please every palate".